Sarah Louise Smith

July 15, 2013

About author, Sarah Louise Smith: Sarah Louise Smith lives in Milton Keynes, UK, with her husband, two cute cats and a loopy golden retriever. She has an extremely lovely step-daughter and spends most of her free time writing, reading, cooking, and taking long walks.

Welcome back, Sarah! What have you been up to since our first interview? Thank you, it’s lovely to be back! I’ve been very busy promoting my first novel, and also finishing and editing my second. It’s been hard work but a lot of fun!

Congratulations on your upcoming book, “Izzy’s Cold Feet”! How excited are you? Thank you so much … Very excited! It was a dream come true to have one book published so it’s a real pleasure to have a second.

What is the book about? Izzy is about to get married, but she’s not sure her fiancé is the man she wants. She takes the reader on a journey through her past, recounting the stories of her past loves, and comparing each one. As each of her ex-boyfriends turn up unexpectedly in the week before her wedding, her feet grow ever colder… then there’s the added complication that her sister has been missing since Izzy was 12.

How long did it take you to write this one? It’s hard to say, I started it before I was offered a contract for Amy & Zach, so then it went on hold while I went through the editing process, then I came back to it. But I’d say in total probably about six months.

How does “Izzy’s Cold Feet” compare to your other book, “Amy & Zach”? There are similarities in my style of writing but it’s obviously a very different story. I feel this has a little more depth perhaps… Two characters from Amy & Zach do make a cameo appearance though!

What made you want to write this story? The story is an amalgamation of ideas that came to me, like several separate love stories, merged into one. So Izzy has four different boyfriends (and therefore love stories) over a time span of about ten years.

Is anything in your new book based on reality? No, but I’m sure some of my past relationships and experiences are in there somehow if you look closely enough! 🙂

What do you and Izzy have in common? We both love to cook. And, I think, we both over-analyze and take a while to figure out what we want.

People would be surprised to know that you: Changed the ending of this book… I actually had a different plan in mind when I set out to write the book but Izzy didn’t like it, and changed it to suit her!

What advice can you give to someone who’s writing their second book and feel under pressure to make it as good as their first? Only that I really do believe that each sentence you write is better than the last. All the time you’re learning and improving, whether it be as you write or as you absorb feedback from readers. Having said that, although I do feel ICF is better than A&Z myself, I’m very nervous that readers will not agree!

How do you plan to celebrate the release of “Izzy’s Cold Feet”? There’s an online launch party on Facebook on the day, and then a few weeks later I’m going out for a meal and drinks with some close family and friends.

What are you working on now? My third novel is in note-form and hasn’t really got a full developed plot yet, but I’m working on it.

**Blurb of “Izzy’s Cold Feet”:

One bride to be. Three ex-boyfriends.

Izzy is engaged to Greg, who is everything a girl could want.

The trouble is – all she can think about is the men she loved before she met him: sexy Ewan, the first love of her life; dependable Jason, who loved her more than she deserved; and irresistible Dexter, who broke her heart…

Then there’s the fact that her sister has been missing since Izzy was twelve. After such a traumatic childhood all Izzy wants is a normal, happy, settled life, but love is never simple.

In the week leading up to her wedding day, Izzy is forced to ask herself who she loves the most. And, given the choice, who would she want to spend her life with?